This document is a transcript from a keynote speech about envisioning the future given by Reuben Steiger. In the speech, Steiger discusses how concepts of the future have evolved over time from hunter-gatherers unable to store food or plan ahead to farmers who could save food and plan for the future, creating the first concept of the future. Steiger then considers where society may be heading given current challenges like population growth and resource constraints, and suggests that looking to the past can provide optimism for continued progress despite uncertainties about what the future may bring.

1. ISUALI ING
THE FUTURE/
REUBEN STEIGER
IDMAA EYNOTE
SA ANNAH GA
O TOBER 15, 2011

2. MY OB/

3. WHAT I
BUILT IN
LAST 9
MONTHS/

4. WHY THE
FUTURE
MATTERS/

5. SOME THINGS
I BUILT
BEFORE/

6. SOME THINGS
I BUILT
BEFORE/

7. SOME THINGS
I BUILT
BEFORE/

8. SOME THINGS
I BUILT
BEFORE/

9. WHAT“ROLE”
DO WE PLAY
IN THE
FUTURE? /

10. 1870 1960
FROM S I-FI
TO REALITY/
1992 2002

11. PAST,
PRESENT AND
FUTURE/

12. “The Future
Ain’t What it
Used to Be”
Yogi Berra

13. HUNTERS
FO USED ON
THE
PRESENT/

14. THEY OULD
GLORIFY THE
PAST/

15. BUT
OULDN’T
STORE FOOD
OR PONDER
THE FUTURE/

16. FARMERS
OULD SA E
FOOD AND
PLAN AHEAD/

17. REATING
THE FIRST
ON EPT OF
THE FUTURE/

18. MONEY
FUTURE
ALUE/

19. WHI H
ENABLED
TRADE/

20. EXPLORATION

21. IMPERIAL
ON UESTS/

22. AND
EMPIRES/

23. LI E THE
U.S.A.

24. SO WHERE
ARE WE
HEADING?/

25. _ 7 Billion people / 12 Billion
THE PRESENT by 2050
2011/ _Must be fed and sheltered
_ Must remain peaceful and
disease-free
_ And be entertained
_ And be fruitful and multiply?

26. URRENT
INDI ATORS
NOT GOOD/

28. IT’S
GETTING
ROWDED/

29. ONE
POSSIBLE
OUT OME:
IDIO RA Y/

30. BUT BEFORE
WE SLIT OUR
WRISTS/

31. LETS LOO
BA / HAPPY?

32. LAST 200
YEARS HA E
SHOWN
PROGRESS/

33. IS IT HOW
WE IMAGINED
THE
FUTURE?/

34. THE PAST
FUTURE:
1939
WORLD’S
FAIR/

35. WHAT DOES
AMERI A
MA E?/

36. SOME
DELI IOUS/

37. SOME LESS
SO/

38. SOME
POISONOUS/

39. AND THE
“IDEA OF
AMERI A”/

40. IT OMES IN
DO ENS OF
FLA ORS/

41. YET THE LIFE, LIBERTY AND
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
AMERI AN
DREAM LI ES
ON/

42. FOR NOW,
OUTWARD
EXPANSION
IS O ER/

43. FRONTIERS ARE
GENETI S AND
YBERSPA E/

44. WITH
INTERESTING
POSSIBLE
OUT OMES/

45. MEDIA’S
A ELERATION
IS AN X-
FA TOR/

46. MEDIA HAS
AMPLIFIED
STORIES AND
AFFE TED
OMMER E

47. FROM
GUTENBERG TO
U ERBERG

48. STORIES
MA E You Are
MEANING/ Here

49. YET AS
MEDIA
SHIFTS.../

50. ARE WE
AMUSING
OURSEL ES
TO DEATH?/

51. THE FUTURE
BRINGS MANY
HALLENGES/

52. “MEN MAY
OME AND GO
BUT EARTH
ABIDES”/

53. THE ANSWER
IS A SIMPLE
HOI E/

54. You Are
Here

55. “The best way
to predict the
future is to
create it”
Peter Drucker